Growth of wool follicles in culture
February 1994
in “
In vitro cellular & developmental biology. Animal
”
TLDR Wool follicles can grow in a lab with the right nutrients and conditions.
The study developed a method to culture isolated wool follicles from 2-year-old Merino sheep wethers, achieving fiber growth rates of 40-80 µm/day in Williams’ E medium with supplements. Insulin and hydrocortisone at specific concentrations stimulated growth, but higher doses were inhibitory. The follicles maintained structure and showed active DNA and keratin synthesis for up to 7 days, enabling the study of direct effects on wool keratin synthesis independent of systemic metabolism.
